Summer Impact Magazine '22

Impact

SUMMER 2022

To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

The work of the Club, at its core, can be condensed into one question: “Who do you want to be?” I grew up in the Boys & Girls Club and I wear that experience proudly. I came in last place in a potato sack race in BGC San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Colorado, I built structures out of balsa wood in a team competition to see which designs could carry the most weight. Here in Napa, I was the undefeated champion in a Star Fox competition. I think it’s easy to look at these moments as an outsider and see them as fun experiences without any real impact, but that would be a mistake. Because every thing we do at the Club is intentional. Everything we do pushes kids and teens to be their best selves by embracing them for who they are, and pushing them to be more. “Who do you want to be?”

The Club’s mission isn’t accomplished through daycare. The magic that makes this possible is hidden in the connective tissue between these moments. In these middle spaces, I learned the value of kindness. I learned how to stand up for others. I learned through countless high fives, smiles, and hugs that despite the fact that my family was always in motion that a larger family was always waiting for me no matter where we moved. “Who do you want to be?”

Eight years ago, as a Club staff, I was crammed into one of two big yellow school buses with kids and staff on our way to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, or as true locals know it Marine World Africa USA. After more than a decade of summer programs, I look back on this annual trip with so much fondness. Wandering the park with my group of ten, checking out sting rays, tigers, and water rides. Smiling at the shocked expressions of parents who fight to wrangle their kids as our group slips by holding hands and singing songs. That’s a part of the magic that stays with you. That time the tiger lunged a HayHay from across the pool. The first time Catalina touched the trunk of an elephant. Or the suspiciously large

bubble floating up from behind the walrus as he swam… Even so, my favorite memories are the ones on the way home. Watching as kids shared or gave away treats, they’d purchased for their friends at the gift shop. Listening as they joked and laughed about this or that. Those wonderful moments between the experiences. The context that shapes who we are and why these experiences are important. Making experiences like this is hard work, but they foster moments that take root in your heart and that is where great futures take shape.

This summer, 2,000 children and teens spent six weeks of Summer in our care. None of that would be possible without the incredibly brave, creative, and generous people who choose to put on a staff shirt every morning and say “Game On.” They deserve credit for every smile, every high five, and every story your kids have shared here with us this summer.

Greg Bouillerce

Greg Bouillerce Executive Director

5th graders at the Napa Clubhouse learned all about geology during the Rocks Rock Program! Every member had the opportunity to crack open their own geode and examine its contents and learned how to spot these special rocks in the wild. They were excited to see all the different colors and shapes. Their minds were blown when the realized no two were the same.

Michaela is communicating with Aiden on where she is placing her cup to not spill much water in the Water Cup Race. This 32oz cup started full but water spilled as they passed it through several members to fill the final bucket. This hot day consisted of all members rotating through various water game activities that emphasized communication, team building, awareness and more.

During the summer, Napa Junction kids left for a walking field trip to the beautiful Wetlands Edge Park in American Canyon. Members explored and learned more about the significance of the Napa River Bay Trail and the Wetlands. Members left wanting to know more and additional trips are planned to the wetlands and to more extraordinary community landscapes American Canyon has to offer.

June 20th marked the first day of Summer Programs at the Napa Valley Boys & Girls Clubs. Because of an expanded partnership with Napa Valley Unified School District our doors opened to close to 2,000 members at locations throughout Napa and American Canyon. All summer long kids went home dirty, sweaty, and tired because of full days of art, skits, camp songs, sports, and gardening and even better the cost to attend these programs was ZERO! That’s right, no fee. Now that's how we Summer in Napa Valley!

Want to learn more about the staff and board members who make all this possible? Dive into our “About Us” section and check out the history of our organization on our website! Just follow the QR Code to the right or click: !

Who we Serve: If we were to consider all of the youth attending the Club, their age, household, economic status, and time spent in our programs and condense it into ONE story here is how that would read: The typical member at the Boys & Girls Club lives and attends school in Napa. They live in a family of four with a sibling who likely also attends the Club and parents who work full-time. Collectively their household earns less than $80,000/year. They live in a home that is rented jointly by family or friends. Despite shared resources, money is tight and this often disrupts basic needs like nutrition & housing. As a result, their parents often work multiple jobs and rely on the Club for care when school isn’t in session.

American Canyon Clubhouse 339

Browns Valley Elementary 166

Canyon Oaks Elementary Closed McPherson Elementary 205 Napa Clubhouse 266 Napa Junction 235

NVLA

Pueblo Vista Elementary 239

Redwood Middle School

UNIDOS Middle School

Willow Elementary 187

The average household income of members attending the Boys & Girls Club of Napa Valley is 80k/year!

Most of the things we love and use today were sparked from someone just who decided one day to stop expecting things by default. That's the difference between those who are accept things as they are and those who change the world. Imagine our world without innovators. That's why what matters to me; empowering people to realize their potential and innovate. It's not about what you've been handed but what you do with it. This is a lesson that I have learned throughout my time at The Boys & Girls Clubs.

Growing up, I found myself in foster care. Twice. Like I said, a couple small decisions and a few big actions from others completely turned my life upside down and put me in a situation and environment I had no control over. My life was in shambles. I didn't have a choice where I would stay, who I would stay with, and I never knew how long the changes would last. I remember the Foster home system being such a hard transition for my sister and I as all we had was taken away from us. It felt like our hands were tied. We had to learn to follow new rules, restrictions, and we had way less freedom. We lost simple things like phones and games, and of course big things like switching schools where we struggled to fit in without being labeled.

When I was finally able to go back to living with my dad, I thought that my life was finally going to be stable; boy was I wrong. Although I was excited to return to my original middle school, when I got there everything was different. It felt like everyone else had moved on and I was stuck in place. There was a lot of peer pressure and I quickly found myself in bad situations. I just wanted to be accepted by the people around me and that led me to into physical fights and doing things that would get attention. Though these behaviors often defined me to others that was never who I was. I was nearly expelled from school and alienated by those same people I was trying so hard to be accepted by.

Going into high school only made things worse and I was barely surviving. People labeled me by my past actions, my grades were hanging by a thread, and I knew those around me didn’t really consider me a friend. I had given up, accepted that this was my life and stopped expecting more.

When the pandemic hit it was like everyone I knew, including myself, went on pause. Thankfully for me, I had The Boys and Girls Club. At the Club they looked

beyond my mistakes and helped me find myself. They helped me get my grades back on track. But more, I was surrounded by staff and peers who I could relate to and these relationships were very different from the ones I had built in middle and high school. My peers were motivated and purposeful. They were doing so many positive things in their life and I knew that was the kind of person I wanted to be too.

I had so many amazing and personal conversations with the staff there and was able to open up with my peers about how I was struggling. The people around me built up my confidence and helped me get the resources I needed to achieve my new goals. In short, that year was a reset and that time shifted my perspective and showed me that I had a lot more to give.

As a foster kid I felt like nearly everything was decided for me, and that really intensified the pressure to fit in when I returned. Through my time at the Club I’ve realized that while I had a lot of challenges to overcome, I also have a lot of choices available to help me overcome them. I can choose to be more, I can choose to do more, I can choose.

So going into my junior year of high school, with the help of The Club, I made the choice to take control of my education and transfer to a school where I could get the immediate help and guidance I needed. I took the risk and transferred to New Technology high school, a project based school that centered around the students, has a smaller population, and has classes based around my strengths and interests.

Going to New Technology High School was a major opportunity that changed the course of my own story. I’ll never forget that feeling I had after my first day of school on that campus; it was full of so much life and optimism. I remember leaving school and rushing to tell my friends and staff at the Club how well it actually went and to thank them for motivating me to make the change. That’s when I realized that I had the power to shape the course of not only my education but my future.

Now every day, I'm excited to wake up and go to school. I know how to say yes to new opportunities for my future. I'm surrounded by teachers and friends who care. I used to think that I was at a stage where I knew everything there was to know about myself, everyone around me, and the small world that I live in. I used to feel powerless. I used to feel like I couldn't have any positive effect on the outcome of my life. Now, as the world move’s on from Covid I feel like I’ve caught up while everyone else was on pause. I still have work to do and I definitely don’t have everything figured out, but I can do a lot more with what I already have, and that mindset is really all we need.

Did you know that The Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley accepts vehicle donations? That’s right! We partner with who coordinates the pick up and sale of the vehicle and then sends the proceeds directly back to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley!

Are you ready to donate a vehicle to the Boys & Girls Club? Donate for Charity makes it quick, easy, and painless! Learn More by following the QR Code to the right or just click: !

Summer at The Club might have just ended but that didn't mean the FUN was over just yet! A group of our members had the opportunity to travel to Camp Mendocino where they spent eight days connecting with nature, each other and other Club members from around Northern California! Throughout the week they participated in a variety of outdoor education activities including trail rides, swimming, gardening, ropes courses, campfires and singing camp songs along the way! The memories they made were truly formative. A huge THANK YOU to Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco and all who supported this opportunity by making this possible for our members! What a way to end the Summer!

Are you ready to learn more about the programs offered at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley?! Check out a full list of programs we offer by following the QR Code to the right or just click: !

The work of the Club is very different from that of school, but a growing partnership between NVUSD and the Club continues to demonstrate their commitment to developing students as a whole by positioning Clubs to directly impact the social and emotional development of our children. If you’re a parent, you probably understand that the development of children is a shared experience. They grow through key relationships with teachers, with mentors, with friends and relatives, and of course at home with us as parents. Children, however, don’t grow in parts and that’s why a holistic approach to youth development is so important.

Emerging from the pandemic it became very apparent that students had lost the rhythm and routine of the school day. They were overstimulated in groups and anxious in an atmosphere of conflicting opinions regarding what was and was not safe. This often made it difficult for students to focus in class and that made the work of teachers more difficult. “They have no idea how to work as a group.” “When they walk into class they drop their things on the floor as they make their way to their desks. It takes us an hour every morning just to make sure that their things are stowed in their cubbies so that we can get to work.” These things seem small but they have a direct and cumulative effect on the student experience and their ability to learn. That’s where the Boys & Girls Club really makes it’s impact; we provide services and enrichment that focuses on the social and emotional development of the child. The evolution of this partnership allowed teachers and Club staff to address key deficits jointly with the Club focused on emotional development and teachers prioritizing academic recovery. The clarifying of this work created an ecosystem of support at schools with Club run afterschool programs over the 21/22 school year and was demonstrated in declining behavioral issues and students who were better prepared to learn.

That success led to an expanded partnership between the Club and NVUSD in the form of Summer For All. Summer school is a critical component in the academic recovery of students but a shortage of qualified teachers left NVUSD poorly resourced to effect the kind of sweeping investments required. “We all recognized that we needed to do more, and that we could accomplish more by

consolidating our efforts supportively,” said Matt Manning of NVUSD. The result was an expanded and revolutionary partnership. NVUSD allocated state funding and space so that the Boys & Girls Club could dramatically expand its summer operations and provide full day care coupled with programs and enrichment to 2,000 children over six weeks of summer. These programs were offered free of charge and more importantly they provided a framework through which NVUSD could maximize the impact of credentialed summer school teachers by providing targeted intervention to students without getting bogged down in the primary care of those children. This cooperative approach had never been attempted locally but the impact of that collaboration resulted in an incredible opportunity for 2,000 students; the benefit of which is again being reflected in classrooms as we return to school this year. “You can definitely see a difference between the kids who did and didn't attend summer programs,” said one teacher a week after the school year began.

This partnership continues to expand as evidenced by new programs opening at Browns Valley Elementary School, Redwood Middle School, and Unidos Middle School. With the addition of these programs the Club has expanded its enrollment to 2,200 students district wide and that number is expected to grow dramatically in the coming months. “These are incredible opportunities for our students and we’re excited by our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club,” said Pat Andry Jennings, Assistant Superintendent Instructional Services at Napa Valley Unified School District. It’s important to note that the Club and NVUSD are approaching this partnership with intentional growth. The successes of last school year set the stage for incredible summer programs. The Club’s hiring efforts to staff those programs will have a direct impact on its transition to the 22/23 school year by ensuring that these programs are fully staffed with engaged, trained, and high caliber mentors. “We’re only just getting started,” the Club’s Executive Director Greg Bouillerce said. “We’re eager to expand the number of children served but more than this we’re elevating the nature of our programs Robotics programs, music programs, mental health services, everything is on the table for us at the moment. We believe firmly that if kids are placed in engaging environments and those places are staffed with incredible mentors, that great futures are the result. We’re blessed to have NVUSD as an avid partner in this pursuit.”

On Saturday June 18th I joined 100 people at William Hill Estate Winery for the UnGala, a dinner & auction supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley. This is the second time I’ve attended and I’m even more impressed today than I was a year ago by this small but substantial event. “This is what Napa is about,” I told myself as I took in the moment. Laughter, smiles, wine, joy with the backdrop of Napa at dusk. As you walk in that old song by Sam Cooke, “Twistin the Night Away,” comes to mind. The UnGala is billed as a “come as you are” event with guests dressed in everything from suits to Hawaiian shirts, but there’s also a clarity of purpose. Kids greet us as we walk into the estate with smiles, and high fives, and bubbles. They tell their stories and why they love being a part of the Boys & Girls Club.

As we get settled, the Club’s executive director, Greg Bouillerce takes the stage to bring our attention to the work the Club is doing. Mark Ibanez describes the auction packages while John Curley serenades the bidders. The combination of the two left me feeling like I was at a comedy show but the result of that effort was an event that raised more money than any other event in the Club’s history! The auction packages were unreal with trips to Paris and St. Barts, experiences on the wine train and a stay at in the vineyard at Black Stallion. Along with wine from Brown, Melka, Pott, Fayard and more.

As we got to the Fund a Need portion of the evening a donor raised his paddle to contribute $100,000! When another stood up to raise 40k, he told us about how his work as a volunteer at the Club had personally touched him. Through these stories it hit me; there are events in Napa Valley, and then there are rare events that capture the spirit of Napa Valley; the UnGala is one of the latter. It never felt like a fundraiser, it felt like I was in a friend’s backyard talking about and investing in this place that I love. Congratulations Boys & Girls Club and thank you for all that you do for our kids!

You can learn more about the event at www.begreatnv.org

At its core, the Club’s primary vehicle for impact can be found in the relationships between youth and staff. There is nothing more important than the quality of the person who works directly with our kids. The Club announced that we’re issued another dramatic expansion in entry level pay with Program Staff making between 18 and 20 dollars an hour. We believe strongly that this work is vital, and we’re going to do everything we can to incentivize staff pay because that’s what the superhero's who choose to wear a staff shirt deserve. With that said, if you’re looking to try something new, please consider joining us!

Want to learn more about career opportunities at the Club? Dive into our “Join Our Team” section and review available positions! Just follow the QR Code to the right or click: !

We live in an incredible place, but at the same time the people who live here often exist on very different extremes with regard to prosperity. In 2020 the Club created an opportunity for local businesses to support our efforts through the Business Campaign. As we exit the pandemic, we’re proud to transitions this incredibly successful initiative to the Community Campaign.

The Community Campaign allows local businesses to support and elevate specific community events offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley. The events are exciting with offerings like a Santa Train experience, our Halloween Carnivals, and specialized program events like our Iron Chef Jr. and March Madness programs. You can review the full campaign by following the QR Code below.

July 29th marked the last day of Summer Programs at the Napa Valley Boys & Girls Clubs and what a summer it was. With dramatically expanded programs serving four times the traditional number of children over six weeks, we have to say we’re ready for a break! Take a moment and review the video below of some special moments celebrating what must be the best summer in our organizations history! Now it’s time to get ready for school!

Are you ready to learn more about the programs offered at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley?! Check out a full list of programs we offer by following the QR Code to the right or just click: !